Decisive Evidence
by Zeon of the Twilight Blade
Summary: Simplicity is Bliss they say, but unfortunately for Phoenix, his mind won't let things be simple too long. His thoughts lead him an interesting spot, and a special something from the past only confuses him more.
1. Chapter 1

Decisive Evidence

-Zeon Twilight

Disclaimer: I don't own Phoenix Wright or any of the character's therein, all I own is the idea for this plot.

A/N: boy, it's been awhile Since I did any Writing, I might be a little rusty. anyway, I intend this to be a Fluffy little Short story, probably not many chapters to it. With a slight AU (Not AU in it's Traditional Sense so much as it's a "Could be" Without a backing, it takes place directly after the third game's last Case and contains spoilers, so, Consider this your Warning.)

If it's something you've seen before, I'm not surprised, but I haven't really read much PW fanfiction, so I'm sorry if I inadvertently steal your story.

So anyway, enough about my Panda's Eating Disorder, on with the show.

--

"_Simplicity is Bliss." _The moments when Phoenix Wright could actually have this thought were very few and far between. With his occupation, the kind of people he found himself spending time with, and the sheer madness that was every case, he found that "simple" was hardly something he was well acquainted with.

Still, in this moment, everything was simple, He was surrounded by the people who he favored the most (and Franziska von Karma, who he was up in the air about) and for the moment, everything seemed to be well in his world.

Maya was gleefully eating the food with Pearl, fortunately, Mr. Armstrong had finally hired a cook that knew what they were doing, opting to man the register and insist that everyone needed Aromatherapy oils. So Phoenix did not have to worry about them dying of food poisoning.

Edgeworth was on the phone with someone on business, for once actually seeming to try and get away so that he could be part of the group, or at least listen to them talk. Edgeworth had been a tremendous help, on many levels, and in all honesty, he'd risked his job for Phoenix, without him, Phoenix had a feeling that things would have turned out very differently.

Gumshoe was ravenous, but trying to hold back a little on account of not wanting to seem like a Pig in front of Maggey, or that is what it seemed like to Phoenix anyway.

Franziska on the other hand, was disturbing him at the moment, as she was focused on him, a look of contemplation fixed on her face, with her; that usually meant that whipping was imminent.

As simple as the scene was, and as relaxed as Phoenix felt, he did have plenty to think about, he always did, whenever chaos felt too far away, he could always just let his thoughts drift for a bit and it would come rushing back.

First on his mind, as he looked over at her, was Maya, he'd almost lost her again, her life had once again been in mortal danger and the same feeling that had come over him in the Engarde case, he'd been so close to losing her then as well, and the feeling it had brought on invoked many confusing emotions in his mind.

First of all, what was it? At the emotion's core, what was it that drove him to do anything for Maya? He remembered clearly how he'd felt when she was Kidnapped, he felt dead, he felt that the world had decided to pull the carpet out from under his feet and had no intention of giving him any slack.

But miracles happen, you just have to make them sometimes, and thus, Maya was able to join his side again, the feeling that brought on was just as confusing, as if he'd suddenly come alive again when he saw her and part of him that he'd lost had returned. It was a better feeling than any case he'd ever won.

It was at this time, that Phoenix realized he must have been staring, as his mind had wondered off, since he heard the words, "I'm know I'm a gorgeous girl Nick, but please, keep viewings to ten seconds at a time." His eyes focused and he could see that Maya was looking back at him, a slight pink hue on her cheeks as she spoke that quip.

Pearl beamed, "He just wants to look at his Loooooover!" She grinned, clasping her hands beside her face in the gesture she always seemed to favor when she was discussing something she felt was cute.

Phoenix jerked his eyes away, the half eaten food on his plate suddenly becoming far more interesting than before, "Um, sorry." Maya laughed slightly, "It's okay Nick, nothing you haven't seen before after all." Seeming a little flustered by Pearl's comment.

That, was of course, the real question as he stared at the lobster on his plate, it's shell most likely the same shade as his face, all the things he did for her, he tossed away all regard for himself every time, going as far to try and Cross a burning bridge he knew he had no chance to cross successfully, only for her.

His mentor's sister, that's what she'd been to him a couple years ago, just someone dear to someone who'd been dear to him.

But spending so much time with her, at the office, in court, on her adventures she insisted on having, he knew full well that Maya was no longer Maya: Mia Fey's sister, but Maya…Holder of his heart.

He shook his head, _"Geez! Where did that come from?!" _He thought harshly, closing his eyes and shaking his head faster, but try as he might, he couldn't shake the thought, the truth of it was, there was no way he'd do all that unless he…

"_HOLD IT!" _He thought to himself, face leaning down inches away from the sea creature on his plate, _"She's Mia's sister, of course I'm protective!" _suddenly, Phoenix Realized that his mind had become a courtroom, and his emotions were on trial.

"_Objection!" _Said another voice in his mind, _"If that were the truth, that you were only Protective, why spend so much time with her? Why do you always go along with her? Why do you watch steel Samurai Reruns with her? Why do you always look forward to getting to the office just because you know she'll be there? Why did you have no will to work while she was gone?"_

The Defense in his mind was on the run, he leaned back in his chair, trying to look casual, but most likely failing miserably, since currently, Simplicity had once again told him to talk a long walk off a short dock and chaos had once again come to his mind.

The defense in his mind was unable to come up with a good counter-argument, so it decided to try and change the direction of the debate, _"She's Mia's little sister! How could I face her?!" _The voice, though totally imagined, seemed more desperate this time.

As he loosened his tie, he wondered why he imagined the other voice waving a finger at him, _"But that's just it, Mia trusted you with everything, can you think of anyone that she'd rather see her sister with but someone that she trusts and that makes her sister happy?"_

Phoenix wondered if he'd just cringed in the real world, as Edgeworth, apparently having ended his call during Phoenix's little Episode, was looking at him a bit strangely, Phoenix looked away and out the window as if he hadn't noticed.

"_B-but, she's only 19."_

"_And wise beyond her years under all the playfulness, your arguments are starting to sound like guilt Phoenix, Grasping at straws like that."_

"_W-what about Iris?"_

"_What about her? Do you have something in particular you'd like to share?_

Truth was, when Dahlia, whom at the time, he thought was Iris, tried to Pin the murder on Maya, he felt nothing but anger towards her for that, to imply that Maya could hurt someone it…it…

_That's what I thought."_

"_Oh boy…what a mess." _ Phoenix thought as he put his hand over the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and rubbing the area gently, this realization was startling, but he knew he couldn't deny it. He was in love with Maya Fey, and he couldn't think of a single contradiction there.

"Phoenix Wright." Came a voice that had been silent for a long while, he'd nearly forgotten everyone was there, and this person in particular, he didn't expect to hear, "Something on your mind?" it was of course, the voice of Franziska von Karma.

He cringed, "Er…no n-nothing." He whimpered, expecting to be whipped, but oddly enough, was not. "Oh?" Was her only response, besides a grin that made him even less comfortable than her penchant for whipping him for little or no reason at all.

Phoenix slid out of the booth and stood up, "Um, I'm going for a short walk, don't wait up, I just want to work off a little of this lobster before dessert." He put on a cheesy Grin, but he figured it would do.

Pearl piped up, "Hey! Mr. Nick! No fair, you didn't finish your lunch, you have to eat it all for dessert." She said, looking as if she were ready for a fight. He couldn't help but laugh, "That's even more reason for me to work off what I've ate then huh Pearls?" he said as he turned and walked towards the door, leaving with a bit more haste than he'd intended to.

The truth was, he needed time to collect his thoughts, what to do about Maya, top on the list.

Overall, what was he though? She was the heir to the Kurain Channeling Technique, and he was just a defense attorney who, despite a strong record, still barely made the Rent.

"Phoenix Wright."

Of course, another issue was what about how she felt, after all, he as sure to her he was just some old Fuddy Duddy that her sister had been mentor to right?

"PHOENIX WRIGHT!"

Then again, he could swear sometimes the by the way she ac-

A crack of a whip and pain running down his back as he walked was enough to pull him back to the real world, spinning around to see Franziska standing behind him, "Now that I have your attention…" She stated, pointing at a bench nearby, he'd apparently walked his way to the park, "Sit." She demanded.

"Fran-" He was quickly cut off by another crack of the whip, though this time she only winged him as a warning, "I told you, Sit." She demanded again, he tone broaching no argument.

Having decided that the well being of his body was more important to him than his pride, he sat on the bench, looking up at her now, he spoke, "What do you want Franziska?" He spoke with a tired tone, all the thinking about Maya was leaving him feeling drained.

She grinned, that overconfident Von Karma grin, and idly played with the whip, "Do you recall the Matt Engarde Case you LOST a year ago?" She put extra emphasis on the word lost of course, Phoenix sighed, was this just another of her gloat sessions?

"Of course I remember, he was guilty after all, he got what he deserved." He sighed, starting to stand, but quickly halted as he could see Franny's Grip tighten on the Whip.

"Do you also recall what the Scruffy detective mentioned to you at the Dinner party later?" she asked, Phoenix Found himself wondering how she would know about that, but as he opened his mouth, he saw that she was already waving her finger at him, "I was met at the Airport by my little Brother, he told me that you had a feeling we'd meet and gave him my whip…he also mentioned that the detective said something about there being FOUR pieces of evidence."

Phoenix shrugged, "Yes, but you only found three." He wasn't sure where she was going with this, "And besides that, the Evidence you found was more than enough.'

She frowned at him, "Phoenix Wright, We von Karma's are perfect, I found four pieces, just not all at once…however, I found the last piece in that oaf's pocket on my way out of the country…perhaps you'd like to see it?"

He blinked, why would she go out of her way to show him something from a year old case that ended in his client being guilty anyway? He nodded after a moment, "Alright then, do you have it?"

She smiled again, "As I said, we Von Karma's are perfect." She said as she pulled a card from her pocket and handed it to him.

He looked at it for a moment and then yelped, "You're going to have me killed?!" he said a bit too soon, and suffered several lashes as a result, "Foolish fools who foolishly speak before their foolish minds process what is in front of their foolish eyes are the biggest fools of all!" She said in a small fit of anger.

As his vision cleared from the pain, he could see what he was looking at, it was indeed Shelly De Killer's card but it seemed that someone had drawn a profile of his face onto it, making it look like he had a spikey shell for hair.

He smirked, "It's not bad Franny, Do you often doodle on evidence?"

The whipping that followed was Graphic enough to scare most the people from the park, guards included, but she stopped before he passed out from the pain.

"I didn't draw this Phoenix Wright, this crude drawing was found at the scene where Maya Fey was being kept."

Slowly, everything was snapping into place in his mind, he remembered her mentioning that she'd drawn something, "You mean this is…?"

Franziska said nothing to answer his question, "Of course, you have been thinking of her since the end of this case." It wasn't a question; it was her stating a fact.

She grinned again, "So do I need to present more to you, or will you talk to the girl about this?"

Phoenix blinked, Maya could have been bored, it could just be that, but then again, he didn't really know either, "…Why are you doing this Franziska?"

He felt a lash across the chest, then, "As I looked through your records I saw a time where you refused to pick up cases, incidentally, it correlated with the time that Maya Fey was away on her Spirit Training trip…I will defeat you Phoenix Wright…"she said as she pointed right at him, "However, in order to do that, you must keep taking cases, and to me, this is the best way to insure that."

"…" He turned the card over and over in his hand, before slipping it in his breast pocket, "Thank you."

Franziska allowed herself one true smile, before frowning again, "My reasons are entirely my own and have nothing to do with your happiness Phoenix Wright." She grinned, "I think you have walked long enough, you should head back now, I have a plane to catch."

Phoenix sighed as she walked past him, they weren't far from where she was staying after all, and he doubted she rented a car, she didn't seem the type.

As she disappeared from his sight, he thought once again to himself, "_Simplicity is Bliss…but at least Complexity is interesting." _He looked at the card, starting his walk back.

--

It's mostly written after 12AM, so my spell checking might be a little bit rough, sorry.

There you are, chapter one, I think this will last maybe two or three chapters in all, hit me with some reviews if you don't mind, I certainly hope my skills aren't too rusty, it's been a very long time since I used them.


	2. Chapter 2

Decisive Evidence

Decisive Evidence

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Still don't own the characters, I called Capcom about it, but they didn't seem to like my offering of ten cents and a bottle cap as payment, sorry Court fans.

The walk back seemed longer than his walk out. Maybe he was too busy thinking, maybe he just hadn't accounted for how far out he'd walked in the first place, either way, as he headed back to the restaurant, he had more time to think. The battle in his mind had shifted from trying to prove he didn't love her, to trying to prove she didn't love him, another battle he was losing sorely.

"_She just thinks of me as a brother!" _

"_She made sure you came to see her before she agreed to channel Mimi Ini, She has put complete trust in you several times, there's the card, there's the fight she had with Von Karma for the DL-6 evidence. The fact that when she's in trouble, you're all she thinks about. The little hint's she drops, the glances you know you've caught her casting just outside your field of vision, shall I go on?"_

"_Ulp…but…she…Um…(This is hopeless! He's winning…I mean I'm winning…I mean…what the hell is wrong with me? I've been in court too long.)"_

Franziska had been almost totally forgotten by the time he reached the door, he put his hand on the handle and hesitated, thinking about all that she'd just told him. His defenses were getting weak, he knew it, and he knew he had nothing to free him from his guilt on the topic, not even the slightest turnabout.

Phoenix took a deep breath and opened the door, walking into the restaurant and past Mr. Armstrong, he went around to the dining area and saw that Edgeworth was the only one still there. His face had to have asked the question for him, as his friend and rival smirked, "They left, Maya said she was going to visit Godot, she mentioned that Pearl really wanted to talk to you and she'd be in your office."

Phoenix took this in and sat down across from him, then sighed, "Edgeworth…I…" Phoenix started to say, but Edgeworth cut him off.

"It's interesting Wright, though you exhibit some of the most passionate fits of trust in your clients, your heart is permanently sewed onto your sleeve and I've seen all forms of emotions run across your face many times…However…I've only one other time… seen you breakdown like you did today in court."

Phoenix looked at him, a little confused, and then he remembered, Edgeworth had been a spectator today.

Edgeworth continued, "You remember it too do you not? Last year? The Matt Engrade case…at the end of the first day." Edgeworth's face was stone serious, and he was waiting for an answer.

Phoenix averted his eyes, his shoulders slumped slightly "I remember…I thought…I'd lost her." Just the memory was painful.

Edgeworth smirked, "Yes, when you thought that Shelly De Killer had killed your assistant." Phoenix felt an involuntary pain in his heart as Edgeworth said this, is showed as he flinched from the words.

They sat in silence for a moment, both having a strong idea about the point being made here, Edgeworth continued, "Then today, again that young woman had the same effect on you as before…what would you have done if she had been dead Wright?"

The idea, the very thought of it felt like a knife to the heart, in Phoenix's mind, images flashed of Maya's cold corpse leaning against the Giant stone lamp in the garden, blood splattered on the soft white snow, the look of shock in her still open eyes, a knife buried in her chest. A sob escaped him, and he found that his voice wouldn't work, the idea paralyzed him.

Edgeworth nodded, "Phoenix." He paused after using his friend's first name, "There are those that dedicate themselves to their ideas…there are those that give their lives to their job. Then there are those that give their heart to another person…I know little of this, my passion is Law, it was, is, and most likely will be all I ever know.' He closed his eyes and smiled softly, pausing to contemplate it seemed.

Phoenix looked at Edgeworth in mild shock, he'd always known that the man held much back from him, but he was being quite open, he figured that meant that Edgeworth was more serious than he'd ever been.

Edgeworth finally opened his eyes, "You Wright, You love the Law, you believe in your clients, I'll grant you that…but you are also in need of someone to support you, to keep your faith in good people alive I'd venture. That someone is Maya Fey, without her. You would crumble."

Phoenix sighed, "Franziska told you about the card?" his eyes meeting Edgeworth cool glare.

Edgeworth shook his head, shrugging his shoulders, "You could say I've caught a glimpse of it, after all, I was with her when she found it…But Evidence is not needed in the real world as much as the court Wright, your behavior is clear enough reason to lead me to this conclusion."

Phoenix knew what he meant; there was no reason to press Edgeworth for more info. He knew that throughout the past few years, he'd built an extremely high mountain of evidence of how he felt, even more than Edgeworth knew.

The man in red grinned a cocky grin once more, shaking his finger just in front of his forehead, "I believe…we both have places to be Wright, I must get back to the office. The prosecution never rests even when they leave the country; I've got a lot to look into while I'm here." He spoke as he started to stand up, "You have a very important child to meet with before Maya gets back from her visit to the detention center."

Phoenix watched as he walked towards the door, stopping for a moment to say one more thing, "You put everything on the line all the time in that courtroom, you know what you need to do." With that, his long time friend had left, the small bell above the door jingling before falling silent.

Phoenix stared into the table for awhile, was it really that obvious how he felt that everyone else had seen it so long before he had? Had Maya seen it? Did she feel the same? There were too many questions and not nearly enough answers.

"Monsieur Wright! You see, how you say…confused? Would you like this Lavender oil? Oui oui! It will help you relax!" Mr. Armstrong said, as he suddenly appeared next to Phoenix with grace that simply should not be allowed to a man of his size.

"Ack! Um! N–no thanks Mr. Armstrong, I don't think that aromatherapy will fix my problem, er, excuse me!" He said as he swiftly walked towards the door, leaving the pink wonder behind.

Watching him go with droplets of tears in his eyes, Armstrong brought his hands up and clasped them to his heart, "Oui! Young love! Such Passion! Such Beauty!" He pulled a flower from his pocket and started to pluck the pedals off. "When will I find my Amoureux I ask you?" The man sighed, "Ce qui sera être, I must get ready for the Dinner crowd."

--

A/N This chapter is a bit shorter, but I'm thinking probably one (MAYBE two if the next chapter writes itself.) more chapter after this and I'll end it, Hit me with a review or a few and maybe I'll even finish it this weekend.

Also, I know what a few of you might be thinking, Edgeworth was ooc, I don't really think I took him too far out really, we know the guy has feelings, we know that he keeps to himself most the time, but we also know that he says things if they need to be said, also that he's very perceptive, so I don't think it's impossible that he'd try and give Phoenix a confidence boost…by prosecuting of course.

A few others of you, might be saying, "But Edgeworth is gay for Phoenix" You're free to think that, I personally think the guy is married to his job (As I alluded to in this chapter) so for the purposes of this story, Edgeworth's preferences are going to be left in the dark.


	3. Chapter 3

Decisive Evidence

Decisive Evidence

Chapter three

Disclaimer: See Chapter one and two.

A/N: Gotta say, this has been a lot of fun thus far, the turnout for my little story has been pretty good, I love to know that people enjoy my work. So, without further ado, let's rock.

"In retrospect" was a term that haunted Phoenix fairly often. He was not a man that felt regret so much, but he did have several times in his life that he wished he'd chosen a slightly different path.

He wished that he'd been to Mia's office just a few minutes sooner back when she was murdered. He wished that he'd presented different evidence in court sometimes.

At the moment, he wished that he'd hitched a ride with Edgeworth.

Phoenix was quite used to walking or biking everywhere, he actually didn't mind it most the time, today however, with the emotional court battle going on in his head and the fact that every moment he seemed to be less sure of himself as a defense mechanism against the truth. Today, walking felt like it was taking an eternity.

"_You have to tell her."_

"_NO! If I do that…if she doesn't feel the same I…I'll…"_

"_Do you want to live your life wondering Phoenix? Do you want to watch her leave eventually with someone else when you know she might have wanted you, but was just too scared to ask?"_

"_I just want to know that she'll be in my life…Friendship is Safe, She won't be scared away."_

"_You know she won't be scared away!"_

Phoenix stopped his walk, the law office wasn't far now.

"_I don't have any decisive evidence of that…"_

"_Argh, You're a fool, no one who's ever fallen in love has had decisive evidence to back up their thoughts!"_

"_I don't know if I could handle…if she didn't…_

"_So you're just going to give up? You're going to let your happiness slip away?"_

Phoenix stared at the sidewalk, he'd resumed his walk, but the gait was now slow and methodical. He was buying time; he wished he could be more certain.

"_**Phoenix, we need to have a talk."**___

Both voices were shocked by the intrusion of the 3rd, as an image of his mentor came into his mind's eye.

"_**Have Pearl channel me."**_ The 3rd voice sounded indifferent, but Phoenix figured that she would have some things to say to him, though he had no idea what.

His walk had come to an end; the court in his mind had taken a recess. Behind that door was the eleven year old girl with an agenda. Pearl was another piece of evidence as well. Many times she'd spoken of how Maya had talked about Phoenix during her time home. It was circumstantial at best, but the girl, if no one else, was absolutely sure of herself.

His hand froze on the door as he summoned his resolve and pasted on a fake smile, opening the door and proceeding in.

The girl was not in the front room and he proceeded back to his office. As soon as he opened the door he heard her voice "Hi Mr. Nick!" He scanned the room and saw that she was sitting in his leather office chair, "Hi there Pearls, you wanted to see me?"

Pearl nodded, standing and then, in what seemed to be an impression of Edgeworth, she slammed her small hand down on his desk, "Objection!" She shouted shortly after leaving Phoenix to wonder what the hell was going on as the small girl raised her hand and pointed at him.

"Umm…Pearls, what exactly are you objecting?" Phoenix asked, his voice caught in a combination of confusion and his insides melting because the idea of Pearls pretending to be a prosecutor was adorable to him.

Pearl seemed to blush, a finger going to her lip in a nervous reflex he'd seen her do before, "Well, that's what I see you and the other attorney's do when you want to drive a point home…so um…I object you denying the truth!" She spoke the last bit with more resolve than the rest, again pointing her finger.

Phoenix couldn't help but chuckle, Pearl having that much cuteness really should be illegal, "So what truth am I denying Pearls?"

Pearls did a two hand slap on the desk; her impersonation was actually pretty good. She pointed her finger again and said "You're denying how you feel about Mystic Maya!"

Phoenix felt himself flinch, what was this? 'Everyone Read Nick's mind day?' He shook his head and looked at her, "W-what do you mean Pearls?"

"You love her don't you? I never hear you say it but I always see the way you act around her, why won't you just admit it?" Pearl had obviously been paying attention, more than Phoenix had been apparently. There was a little bit of innocent confusion in her voice as well, she didn't understand all the complexities of love when you get older after all.

Phoenix averted his eyes; Pearl might make a better prosecutor than Edgeworth, "I…Pearl it's…complicated."

Pearl shook her head, "No it's not!" She spoke emotionally, "When two people love each other, they should tell each other!" She pointed again.

Out of reflex, Phoenix felt himself say "Objection." He kept himself from shouting it at least, "How do you know we love each other Pearls? Do you have any evidence?"

Pearl gave a slight gasp, but then nodded, "Y-yes!" She spoke, averting her eyes, "I do but…I can't show you…She'd be mad."

Phoenix said nothing for a moment, then finally spoke, "I'm sorry Pearl…you're right…when two people love each other, they should tell each other…but when you're grown up…it's not that simple."

The small girl looked at him with sad eyes, "W-Why not Mr. Nick…you do love Mystic Maya don't you…?"

Phoenix closed his eyes and sighed, leaning against the wall for support, he then remembered something, "Pearls, can you do me a favor?"

Pearl came out around from behind the desk and nodded, "What do you need?"

Phoenix, now slumped all the way to the floor, all these thoughts and uncertainties were really wearing him out. He looked up at her and asked, "Could you channel your cousin Mia for me?"

Pearl nodded, "Uh huh, hold on a second." She said softly, as Phoenix watched her close her eyes, muttering quietly whatever chant they did when the Fey's channeled someone, it wasn't long before her body was changing shape and soon enough, his mentor was standing in front of him.

Phoenix looked up at her and she smiled slyly down at him, "Phoenix, you've got a couch in this room last I was here, I think maybe you should use it."

She always found just the words to make him feel like a kid, "Heh, sorry Mia." Phoenix said as he slowly stood up and walked over to the couch, slumping into it with a tired plop.

Mia walked around and sat down beside him, "I contacted you because I could feel high tension in your thoughts. I wondered why you would be so concerned about something outside of court. But when I looked in on it, I think I understand why."

Phoenix blushed, "So there are spectators to my inner court battle too huh?"

Mia shrugged, "That's just a medium that you reason things out in Phoenix."

He again blushed, she always was logical like that, "So…what did you want to see me about" He asked, as if he didn't know.

"…The first time I met you I thought you were an idiot Phoenix." Mia spoke bluntly, Phoenix cringed, she was never much on pulling punches either.

"Gee…thanks Chief."

"Mia shook her head, "Then, eventually, you asked me if I would be your mentor, you were just a greenhorn, but I accepted you anyway, as we spent time together, I found that you were not an idiot, simply immature."

Phoenix frowned, he wasn't sure he liked where this was going.

"Next memorable memory…was the trial of Harry Butz…I saw that day that you had more potential than I'd given you credit for. After that, you went on to take on cases that no one else would, you never stopped believing in your clients and I saw you fight harder than anyone I'd ever seen really."

Phoenix felt a nervous laugh, "I was only doing what you taught me."

Mia shook her head, "I taught you a lot Phoenix, but for you to carry out my teachings, you had to have a heart of gold and an unshakable resolve." She paused, thinking back, "I've always been watching you through the hardest times… But your friend Edgeworth is right; I've only felt your thoughts at their most desperate and dismal two times."

Phoenix frowned, she was talking about his breakdowns over thinking Maya was gone.

Mia looked right at him and smiled, putting a hand on his, "Phoenix, I think I've learned a lot more from you than I could have ever taught you, you surpassed me and I couldn't be more proud of you." She smirked, "So if the defense attorney in your mind thinks that he can use me as evidence, or that I would object to you and my sister being together, he's b**dead**/b wrong." She put emphasized the word dead, her quirky sense of humor and word play coming through.

He had locked eyes with her, her eyes were clear and sincere, and he felt surprise in his own eyes, "M-Mia…"

She smirked, "There's no decisive evidence Phoenix, but c'mon, have you ever seen someone claiming to have decisive evidence win? You're heart and intelligence are what have carried you through. Even though you never have decisive evidence, you always find the truth. This is no different, just uncover the truth Wright, you should know how it goes by now."

Phoenix couldn't hold his gaze on her eyes and he turned his head, "But…what if the truth hurts? What if the truth isn't what everyone thinks it is?"

Mia gave one of her signature sly smiles, "You have to trust Phoenix, this time; it's a matter of trusting yourself."

The sat in silence for a long time before Phoenix finally nodded, "Thank you Mia."

She answered with a smile and then nodded, "I should go, My sister will be back soon enough, and Pearl will be headed back to the Village tonight…I'll be watching.'

With that, he felt her presence leave womanly figure beside him turning back into the little girl it had been before as her body slumped against his side. For a moment it was like Pearl was asleep beside him. She opened her eyes and yawned, "Did you have a nice talk with Mystic Mia Mr. Nick."

He gave a soft smile, "Yes I did Pearls, thank you."

Pearl smiled happily, a soft giggle coming from her "Hee hee, glad I could help." She bound from the couch and smiled, giving a respectful bow, "I need to get home now Mr. Nick." She smiled and walked toward the door, "You be nice to Mystic Maya while I'm gone!" She demanded from the doorway, he blushed and laughed, "I will, I promise!"

Pearl was gone, Maya wasn't back yet.

"_I call this courtroom back to order, Phoenix Wright, I feel that it has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are in love with Maya Fey."_

"…_Yes your honor."_

"_You should have known you wouldn't win against the truth."_

"_This court has come to the following conclusion, in the interest of finding the truth; you will tell the girl your feelings, for better of for worse."_

"…_Yes your honor."_

Phoenix had sat motionless on the couch for what felt like a month waiting for her, when the knock came, along with a sweet voice, "Nick! I'm back! Are you here?" He heard from the front room as the front door opened.

"No turning back.' He spoke to himself, "I'm in my office Maya!" He called to the girl as his mind franticly searched for a plan of how to handle this.

A/N: Cliff hanger, I'm an ass, I know, but there's only one chapter left after this (Though I probably won't be done with the Phoenixverse as far as writing, we'll see, anyway, hope you have some reviews.

Sorry if you feel I let someone slip out of character, but I don't think I messed up too bad this time, I know that Mia tends to be more mysterious in the games, but I think she's quite capable of being straightforward if she needs to be. Just my opinion of course.

Please review okay? I even tried to edit out those randomly capitalized words and overused commas


	4. Chapter 4

Decisive Evidence

Decisive Evidence

Chapter Four

Disclaimer: Phoenix Wright, Don't own it, I just write about it.

A/N: I apologize for the wait last weekend, I'm afraid that life cracked the whip at me a lil' so I couldn't get to it. Now that I'm here I'm a little scared. Good romance is hard to write believably, but I'll do my best!

"_Footsteps…hers…pulse quickening… sweat forming…Can I run away now?"_

"_You know better that that Wright."_

The Bar exam day? A breeze.

His first trial? Child's play.

The moment when it looked like Edgeworth was about to get the Death penalty? A cakewalk.

Every time Phoenix Wright thought he'd discovered a new level of panic, he was always surprised at just how close to cardiac arrest he could get without having a full on life ending heart attack.

Maya walked around the couch and smiled at him, bowing slightly, "Great job in court today Nick." Her words were genuine, but in a somewhat sad tone.

"_Right…she talked to Diego…" _

"I'm sorry." Phoenix felt his gaze shift a little away from her, "I know you didn't want Godot convicted…but you know how I am Maya." He'd taken to staring at Charley, as if the potted plant would give him romantic advice.

Maya shook her head, "I know Nick, it's alright really…you gave him what he wanted…besides, your passion for finding the truth is one of the things I love about you." She smiled, now speaking in the more happy tone he was used to hearing. His muscles started to tense when she plopped down beside him on the couch.

"_One of the things she loves about me? EH?!"_

"_Interesting development." _

"Er…so…what did you talk about Maya?" He felt himself scratch the back of his head; this wasn't exactly going very smoothly. That paired with the fact that now just being next to her was making him nervous was not helping him in his confession.

Maya sighed as she sank into the couch; it conformed to her body as it had so many times before in the years they shared this space, but now was the first time Phoenix noticed, "Well…I wanted to know what he meant about 'The woman he loved.' My sister had mentioned him way back when…but I was really too young to care at the time. I guess I just wanted to know more about them."

Phoenix nodded; she wanted to know about the man that had loved her sister. It made sense.

Maya yawned a little, "He talked a lot about you too Nick." She said as she leaned forward and stretched. More motions that Phoenix knew she did all the time, but now every movement was fully absorbed into his mind as if he'd just met her.

"Oh…? What did he say?" He was actually very curious, for the moment, the court in his head was silent.

Maya grinned, "He said he wants your number so he can take you on a date after he gets out of prison."

Phoenix cringed and leaned back in a mild shock. Maya started to laugh, "Nick, you're so easy to tease!" She giggled to a stop and then sighed "…He said that Mia really did a great job teaching you. He sounded pretty sorry about the whole 'revenge' thing"

"A-ah." Phoenix couldn't think of anything to press her on there, and thus, the voices inside his head started to all speak at him at once.

"_Tell her now!"_

"_No! Play it cool, ask for a date!" _

"_Kiss her!" _

The voice of the judge came to mind for some reason, it said, _"With a samurai Chop and a samurai slap…_" And then faded out, but it did actually give Phoenix an idea.

"Um… Maya?" He asked, his voice could no longer address her without cracking slightly, he hoped she wouldn't notice.

"Huh?" She looked right into his eyes, his heart did something that felt roughly like the emotional equivalent of a belly flop.

"_Why is this so hard?! I used to be able to talk to her with ease!" _

"_The blinders are gone, your own lies have been shown for what they are and now you face the truth. It's simple; you're seeing HER for the first time."_

"_Great, and a fraction of my persona is waxing poetic."_

"Nick, you're spacing out and staring at me again, you know that right?" focus returned to him and he could see she hadn't moved her eyes from his however. He also noted a slight hue to her cheeks, but he was doing his best to pretend it wasn't there.

"Well…I was wondering if there have been in new Steel Samurai Spin off movies you've wanted to see lately?" His mind finally returned to his idea from before, he could try and get a date with her to a steel samurai movie, that wouldn't be too suspicious would it? It would give him more time to plan this out too.

Maya blinked, her gaze becoming puzzled, "Well…there is one that's been out for a week actually, 'Steel Samurai: Final fight for Neo-Tokyo', but I've seen it twice already, Will did a good job but…um…Nick, are you feeling okay?" She asked as she pressed the back of her hand to his forehead.

"Huh? Why wouldn't I be Maya?" Phoenix was now the one wearing the puzzled look. Of course, her touching his forehead did nothing but make him struggle harder not to blush as he talked to her.

"Jeez Nick! You're burning up! I can see how red your face is." She shook her head, "OH! How could I be so stupid?! Edgeworth told me what you did Nick! That was totally reckless!" she shouted as she pointed at him as if he was a puppy being scolded

Phoenix's puzzled look descended into something that seemed somewhere between confused and totally lost, "Huh?" was all he could think to say.

"The bridge! You tried to cross the burning bridge even though you had to have known you didn't have a chance! What were you thinking Nick?!" Her voice was quickly becoming more concerned; even a little angry, "You fell in the water and caught a nasty cold, and then you even came in and tried to defend today! It's no wonder you are burning up."

She looked away slightly, seeming to finally notice her outburst, "W-what were you thinking Nick? You were scared of that bridge in the first place, you had to have known you couldn't get across…you could have…you could have died."

She looked away from him now, her back shaking, it seemed that this reality was just sinking in for her.

He hadn't counted on anyone telling her about his little swim, her reaction was a lot more serious than he would have expected.

She suddenly stopped sobbing, "HOLD IT!" She shouted to no one in particular, turning back on Phoenix, her face red from the moment before, or perhaps anger, he couldn't tell.

"Edgeworth was messing with me wasn't he?! You didn't try and cross that bridge! That jerk!" she puffed her cheeks out, a childish gesture that even at nineteen she'd not grown out of.

"_Well Phoenix…you know what you need to do. Do you really think a better time for the truth is going to come along?"_

"…Actually…Edgeworth…wasn't kidding…Larry would tell you the same thing, he was right there when I tried to cross it…he even tried to stop me." Phoenix spoke softly, unable to look directly at her at the moment

"WHAT?!" Maya looked shocked of course, "NICK! You could have DIED, didn't you know that?! Why would you even think of doing something so stupid and reckless?!" he knew there would be no way to get out of answering at this point.

"I…didn't think about the danger at all…I didn't hesitate." He sighed, his nervousness calmed down a little seeing her so shocked, but he still felt awkward, "I only thought about getting across…that I absolutely had to."

Maya didn't seem to grasp what he was telling her, she wasn't shouting now, but her voice was quite firm, "What could make you do that Nick? Do you know how many people would have been hurt if you'd died out there? What did you have to cross for?"

"You." The answer left his mouth before he could even filter it to see if it was safe to say, he fidgeted in his seat, trying to find the words to follow up with as Maya's eyes widened at what he'd just said, "I…had to get to the other side Maya, I had to try anyway. I was worried about you."

"N-Nick?" her voice had backed down to a whisper, her eyes avoiding him, now seeming to be asking Charley for advice herself.

"Hold it! No, I wasn't just worried about you…I was terrified Maya, I felt for sure that if I didn't make it across I'd never see you again." He felt like he was rambling, but the floodgates had opened, he'd held it in so long, it actually felt wonderful to get it out, "I felt like you'd been kidnapped all over again."

There was a period of silence again. Phoenix was breathing a little ragged from his confession, Maya was silent, and neither of them could meet the other's gaze.

"I guess…" Maya started quietly, her voice sad, "I'm lucky to be the sister of someone that you cared about so much. You must have cared about Mia a lot to protect me so fiercely."

"_NO! That's not why!"_

"_A little honesty! This is a nice change."_

"No Maya." He felt shaky, he felt a little light headed, the butterflies had returned to his stomach, the sweat had returned to his palms, but he'd come too far to back out now, "I wanted to protect YOU, I was worried about YOU. Mia had nothing to do with it Maya… Maya I l-"

"Nick!" Maya cut in, shaking her head, "Don't say things you don't mean! I know you and Iris will be very happy, you don't have to try and pity me!" she shouted as she tried to scoot away from him, hiding her face as she moved.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one good at self deception; he reached out and gently grabbed her arm. At that moment, he felt surer of himself than he could ever remember feeling. "Maya, look at me." He spoke calmly, the shakiness in his voice was gone, and he finally had his evidence.

Maya slowly raised her head from her arms, "N-Nick you and her…were….there's no way you…you can't…" she spoke through small sobs, her face red from the tears she was trying to hide, he found himself wondering what kind of case had gone on in her head during all this.

"Maya Fey, I love you." He spoke as he looked into her eyes, "I fought myself about it…I tried everything to convince myself otherwise…but you know me Maya…I have to find the truth. That's what I found when I put myself on trial."

"_You're a corny man Phoenix Wright."_

"_Says the waxing poetic voice of my persona."_

Her arm loosened and went limp, "Nick…I…" she seemed drained. She slumped forward and he supported her with his other arm, "I…"

Phoenix released the arm he'd grabbed, pulling her body closer to his, after a moment, she wrapped her arms around his back. "I thought…I'd never hear that." She spoke into his chest after what felt like forever in that position. Her shaking had calmed down, her sobbing ended as she gently pulled away a little to look at his face, "I thought I'd never have a chance…I thought I'd be too young for you, or I'd always be living in my sister's shadow."

By reflex he felt a hand come up to silently stroke her hair, when he thought about it, he'd wanted to do that for a long time, it was soft, just as he thought it would be.

"Then…I saw how you reacted to Iris and I just… gave up. That's why I teased you about her." She seemed focused on him, but still not able to make eye contact, "You…really mean it Nick?" she asked in a small voice, he'd only seen her so vulnerable a few times in his life, and never so open.

"Yes Maya, I mean it." With the confession over with, he felt light, like he could fly, his fears had been lifted almost all at once.

Maya smiled slightly, a deep blush showing through even more than her already red face "Alright then…give me some evidence…show me you love me."

Phoenix thought for a moment, then smirked, "All I have is circumstantial, I hope it'll do." He said softly as he leaned in, his hand had stopped at the back of her head, holding her gently in place as his lips met with hers.

He felt her arms tighten around him during the kiss, he felt his body get chills and warmth at the same time. He felt simplicity in that kiss, and it was indeed bliss.

As he pulled away, he focused on her eyes, and she didn't look away this time, "Is that enough to prove my case?" He asked with a sheepish grin.

Maya smiled back at him, "Hee hee, It'll do Nick." She smiled gently as she leaned into his arms, seeming content, "I love you Phoenix Wright."

"_Court is adjourned."_

_Dear Diary,_

_I guess even I'm wrong sometimes; I told you he'd never feel the same way about me that I felt about him. I guess I was wrong to doubt him; after all, he's never let me down before. _

_Nick surprised me so much when he told me he loved me. I couldn't believe it. Even after Edgeworth told me about the bridge, and about how Nick had acted when I was kidnapped; I still couldn't believe it. I tried so hard to deny it, but Nick just has a way of saying just the right thing, even if it takes him a few tries sometimes._

_In other news, it is weird Diary, I think I need to have you finger printed, I swear I didn't leave you on the floor in my room. Maybe Detective gumshoe can help me with that._

_Oh! Almost time to go! Nick invited me to see the movie my sister used to love so much since he hasn't seen it yet. It'll be our first real date, so I'll talk to you later Diary._

_ Maya Fey_

Well folks, It's been a fun ride, and damn it I hope I wasn't too cheesy. I know it's fluffy! I can't resist the fluff! I did my best to keep them in character, honestly I did, I do feel like Maya has a mature side inside her that she keeps locked up, and I know that Phoenix can be very passionate when he sets his mind to something, so one side of me says I did a pretty good job keeping them in character, building the tension to where the floodgates opened ectera...

The other side of me says I used every frickin' Cliché in the book (Except the Megatama, I wanted to avoid that one) and I should be ashamed to release this as the last chapter.

But alas, it's all about what my Muse says, and my muse liked it. So there's really nothing I can do about. Going against the Muse is a big no-no I've noticed in the past, it causes my stories to die, so best to go with this and hope you agree with my First side, and not the side that says I'm a hack writer.

Oh, just to note, the Diary was thrown in to tie up a loose end I opened in the 3rd chapter, Pearl said she had evidence that Maya had feelings for Phoenix, but she couldn't show it because "She" would be mad. The evidence was the Diary of course. I mention it because I hate leaving loose ends.

Hope you enjoyed the story peeps, this is the Last chapter. I hope I get some rockin' Reviews ;;


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